


Invest A Dime

by dementorsatemysoup



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Flowers, Gen, Girls Kissing, Love at First Sight, M/M, Slow Burn, Weddings, break-ups
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-31
Updated: 2014-05-31
Packaged: 2018-01-27 16:34:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1717304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dementorsatemysoup/pseuds/dementorsatemysoup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Lydia Martin sees Allison Argent at her wedding, she doesn't realize just how life changing that encounter will be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Invest A Dime

**Author's Note:**

> This is loosely based off a movie called "Imagine Me and You" (which you should watch if you get the chance). I love the movie so much, and I really needed to write a fic based off it, but I also wanted to try writing for a new pairing. So, that's where this was born.
> 
> Please drop me a comment if you can, both characters and storyline do not belong to me, and I really hope you enjoy this.
> 
> Thanks for reading!!
> 
> P.S. Like the movie, the title of this is based off The Turtles' song "Happy Together."

Lydia Martin didn’t believe in love at first sight. It wasn’t possible, in her opinion, to meet someone’s eyes across a crowded room and know, firsthand, that that person, that complete stranger, was going to be the person you spent the rest of your life with. It didn’t make sense, from a logical standpoint, and nothing Scott McCall said about ‘just knowing’ was going to change her mind.

That wasn’t to say Lydia didn’t believe in love at all. She wouldn’t be getting married if she didn’t believe in love, but she believed that love grew between two people as they got to know each other, became a unit, learned the ups and downs of being together. Love, like every other sensation in the body, was a collection of chemicals in the brain. Destiny had nothing to do with it.

The day of Lydia’s wedding, she woke up two hours before her alarm. She took a shower, brushed her teeth, ran a hairbrush through her tangled, red hair, and ignored every phone call from her mother. She did take a few phone calls from her fiancé, where he asked, half joking, if she still wanted to back out, before complaining about how Scott still hadn’t shown up with their tuxes yet. After the last one Lydia very patiently said, “Stiles, sweetie, if you call me again I’m going to shove my size six stilettos up your ass.”

“ _Gotcha_ ,” he replied quickly.

“See you at the church,” Lydia said sweetly and hung up. She loved him, really she did, but sometimes he could be such an idiot.

“Okay, so I have your dress,” Danny said coming into her apartment, not bothering to knock, carrying a dress bag in one hand and a pair of heels in the other. “I also got the dress shop guy’s number.”

“He looks like Grumpy Cat,” Lydia replied wrinkling her nose.

“Yes, but he drives a Camaro and has a twelve pack,” Danny commented dropping Lydia’s heels onto her coffee table, holding the dress out for her to take. “Also, your mother called. She’s on her way here with Peter.”

“Ugh,” Lydia groaned taking her dress. “Can’t she just go to the church like a normal parent?” She carried her dress into the bathroom, calling through the open door, “Do you think I can make it down the fire escape in heels?”

“Probably,” Danny called back and Lydia looked towards the fire escape thoughtfully. She’d much rather chew glass than see her mother this early in the morning. “Why do you have a stack of Cosmos from last year?”

“Stiles is helping Issac with something,” Lydia called back removing her robe. She hung it up on the hook attached to the door, unzipping her dress bag.

“Ransom notes?”

“I wish.” Lydia slipped her dress on, pulling the straps over her shoulders. “Hey, can you zip me up!”

“Yeah.” Danny appeared in the doorway, zipping the back of her dress. “So, what, exactly are Stiles and Isaac doing?”

“Trying to create the perfect woman for Scott,” Lydia replied with a small sigh, looking at herself in the full, length mirror, turning left and right. This dress wasn’t her first choice, but she didn’t quite feel like going up two boob sizes just for her wedding, so she decided on the simple, elegant lace one that she found in small, dress shop downtown.

“At least they have a hobby,” Danny retorted kissing her cheek. “You look gorgeous, Lyd.”

“I feel like a Barbie,” Lydia murmured but she had to admit she did look really good. She made the right choice, picking this dress.

“Do you want me to do your hair, or are you just going to let it lie flat?” A voice asked from the bathroom doorway, and Peter ducked his head into the room. He was wearing a black, Armani suit, his hair perfectly styled, his goatee trimmed and neat. He looked like sex on legs, or that’s how Lydia’s mother described him, and Lydia wondered when, exactly, her mother decided they were gossiping BFFs.

“Too bad he’s not gay,” Danny whispered in Lydia’s ear before walking out of the room, greeting Peter’s daughter Malia and Lydia’s mother. Lydia really needed to set Danny and her mother up on a lunch date sometime in the future. She had a feeling they’d hit if off quite nicely.

“Are you nervous?” Peter asked curiously picking up a brush.

“I’m fine,” Lydia replied softly. She actually felt pretty good, a little stressed from all the wedding stuff, ready for the damn thing to be done and over with, but otherwise she didn’t have any butterflies in her stomach or any strong urges to run screaming for the hills. “I’m perfectly fine,” she murmured meeting his eyes in the mirror.

Peter was quiet for a few minutes, slowly dragging the brush through Lydia’s hair, but finally he smiled and said, “Good.”

* * *

Allison Argent believed in love at first sight. She believed that she could meet someone’s eyes across a room and know, right away, that they were the person she’d spend the rest of her life with. She didn’t inherit the belief from any of her family members, didn’t even think her family shared the sentiment, but she had to believe in love at first sight. She spent too many years watching her father retreat into himself after her mother died, had watched her grandfather slowly become a hardened, frightening man. She had to believe because she feared if she didn’t, she could turn into her father or her grandfather. Maybe even her aunt, who loved and left so many men and women, no one quite knew who Kate was bringing to dinner anymore.

“Boyd and I are going out tonight,” Erica said as she followed Allison out of her shop, carrying an armful of flowers. “You should come with us.”

“I’m busy,” Allison automatically responded, loading the back of her delivery van. “Maybe next time.”

“You’re never busy,” Erica pointed out suspiciously, handing Allison more flowers. “What are you really doing?”

Allison hung her head, sighing. She picked her head up and admitted, “I bought a tub of ice cream and I’m going to binge watch _Say Yes To The Dress_ on Netflix.”

“You, my friend, are pathetic.”

“I am what I am,” Allison said turning to face Erica. “So, are you driving or am I?”

* * *

Allison found the groom and his best man standing outside the church, heads together, talking to each other. She walked up to the men, tapping the taller of the two on the shoulder. When he turned, she gave him a smile and asked, “Are you…?” She squinted at her clipboard, furrowing her eyebrows. “Um, I can’t…”

“Stiles,” he said holding his hand out. “Ignore that. My parents were nuts when they named me.”

“Oh, I’m Allison,” Allison introduced herself, shaking the guy’s hand. “I did the floral arrangement for your wedding.”

“That’s awesome,” Stiles replied letting her hand go. “Lydia and her mother argued for days about the flowers, so I’m glad they could come to an agreement on something.” He turned to his friend, who had been staring at Allison for the better part of the past two minutes, a dumbstruck look on his face. “Uh, Scott? Scotty, you okay?”

“What?” Scott shook his head, a goofy grin appearing across his face. He stepped forward, nearly tripping over his feet, holding his hand out. “Scott is me…” His face turned red and he lowered his hand, clearing his throat. “I meant, I am Scott.”

“Hi,” Allison greeted with a smile. She turned back to Stiles a few seconds later, nodding towards the church. “I’m going to continue setting up. Good luck today.”

“Thank you,” he said giving his friend an amused look. “Say goodbye, Scott.”

“Goodbye, Scott,” Scott whispered and Allison chuckled, giving the two guys a wave as she walked away.

* * *

Lydia made sure to keep her parents separated, not needing the two to get into a fight during her wedding. It was bad enough her rehearsal dinner ended in them getting kicked out of the restaurant. She didn’t need the church to kick them out before she could even say ‘I do.’

“Are you ready?” her dad asked. “You can still back out. Marriage isn’t the end all, be all, Lydia.”

“Let’s go, Dad,” Lydia replied stiffly, linking her arm with her father’s. The wedding march started playing, and the two began walking down the aisle. As they passed her friends and family, Lydia caught sight of a brunette woman standing by a pillar. Their eyes met, and the brunette smiled, giving Lydia a small wave.

There was something about the woman, something Lydia couldn’t pinpoint, but it made her feel a little queasy. A good kind of queasy, like wedding day jitters, and Lydia passed off the feeling for just that, her nerves finally catching up to her, and not _because_ of the woman. It still didn’t stop her from smiling back, it was only polite.

Lydia turned to face forward, but couldn’t help glancing the woman’s way one more time. The brunette had already disappeared, and Lydia couldn’t quite push down the disappointment in her stomach.

* * *

Allison hadn’t planned on staying for the reception. She really did want to go home and binge watch Netflix, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave, especially not after she saw Lydia. The moment their eyes met, Allison felt something click into place, something that felt right, but also left a nasty, hollow pit in her stomach because Lydia wasn’t some random wedding guest. She was _the bride,_ who had married a decent guy. Allison knew she could never have Lydia, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be her friend.

She found Lydia standing by the refreshment table, poking at the punch bowl with the ladle. Eyebrows furrowed, a small smile on her face, Allison asked, “What are you doing?”

“Oh God,” Lydia responded dropping the ladle, whirling around to face Allison. She clutched her chest and said, “You scared me.”

“Sorry,” Allison said softly, raising her hands. “I’m just…” She noticed Lydia’s ring finger missing her wedding band and looked at the punch bowl. “Did you drop your ring into the punch?”

“Um…” Lydia glanced back at the punch, glaring at it like it wronged her. “It slipped off my finger because Stiles didn’t think to get it resized…” she sighed heavily, poking the punch with the ladle again. “I can’t find it because my _mother_ decided to use the dark red punch instead of the pale pink like I wanted…”

Allison looked around, making sure no one was looking, and walked towards the bowl. She rolled up her sleeves, looking over at Lydia. “Use your dress to cover me.”

“What? You can't possibly…” Lydia sighed when Allison reached into the bowl, but still moved to stand in front of her, muttering, “I can just drain the punch. No one is drinking it…”

"Don't worry about it. This shirt is old anyway." As the brunette fished around for the ring, she casually said, "I'm Allison, by the way."

"Lydia," the redhead introduced, glancing over her shoulder at Allison. "You really don't have to worry about my ring. I can get it."

“I almost have it.” Allison wrapped her fingers around the ring, pulling it from the bottom of the bowl. She turned, gripping the ring tightly when she spotted the tall, smug looking man talking to Lydia.

“…believe Stilinski landed you,” the guy said running a hand through his hair. “I’m still available if you ever leave that tool.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” Lydia retorted coolly, hands behind her back, not reacting when Allison slid her ring back onto her finger. “Have you met Allison?”

“Pleasure,” Allison greeted with a forced smile, shaking hands with the guy. Lydia looked away, fighting a smile, and the guy grimaced, wiping his hand on his jacket.

“It’s hard to believe you’re single, Jackson,” Lydia added in a faux-sweet voice, grabbing Allison’s hand. “I thought you were everyone’s type.” She gave Jackson one, final smirk before pulling Allison away.

“Ex-boyfriend?” Allison asked glancing back at a dumbfound Jackson.

“Worse,” Lydia started her smirk fading from her face, “ex-fiancé.”

“Oh.” Allison wrinkled her nose. “Sorry.”

“For what?” Lydia dragged Allison over to Scott and Stiles, letting her hand go, and said, “So, husband, are you going to dance with me or stand awkwardly in the corner like some seventh grader at his first dance?”

“I quite like standing awkwardly in the corner,” Stiles retorted easily, but still accepted the hand Lydia held out. “It makes me look mysterious.”

“It makes you look pathetic, dear,” Lydia stated with an overly sweet smile, yanking Stiles onto the dance floor.

“That’s my ‘me time’ hand, Lydia,” Stiles whined.

“You’re disgusting.”

“You love me anyway.”

Allison ignored the niggling in her stomach at the sight of the couple flirting, turning her attention to Scott. She smiled and asked, “Would you like to dance?”

“Yes,” Scott immediately responded and Allison led him onto the dance floor, but she couldn’t help looking back at Lydia one, final time.

* * *

Lydia liked garage sales. She didn’t go for clothes, because that’s disgusting, and she didn’t care too much about the junk or old, moldy books, but she liked looking for antiques. She spent a lot of time at barn sales or elderly people’s garage sales, knowing those were the places to find the items she wanted, and she had a very low chance of meeting a sticky, loud child.

“Lyds, look at this!” Stiles said excitedly, holding up a Power Ranges alarm clock. “I’m totally getting this. Scott is gonna flip.” Lydia did, however, regret bringing Stiles along.

“What happens if it doesn’t work?” Lydia asked shortly, putting her hands on her hips.

“This says it works.” Stiles pointed at the post-it attached to the clock. “Plus, it’s only a dollar… Oh my God, what is that?” Lydia watched him run towards another table. She rolled her eyes, but followed him. He picked up an old, battered box with a dancing can inside. “I’ve never seen one of these before, and it’s…” he checked the price. “…fifty cents! Yep, I’m buying this, too.”

“We’re going to have more junk than we need, Stiles,” Lydia said slowly, glaring at the dancing can.

“No, we’re going to have an awesome alarm clock and a dancing can. Also that!” Stiles ran towards another table, adding a Batman cookie jar to his growing collection. “There’s a Batgirl one, too. Do you want me to grab that one for you?”

“Stiles…”

“I’m gonna grab it anyway.”

Lydia just waved her hand, giving up. Instead, she said, “So, I was thinking about inviting Allison over for dinner.”

“The flower shop girl?” When Lydia nodded, Stiles continued, “Cool. I can cook.”

“Please don’t.”

“Why?” Stiles turned to face her, juggling his items in his hands. “I am an awesome cook.”

“Stiles, honey, throwing ingredients into a bowl and yelling ‘bam’ does not make you an awesome cook,” Lydia stated sifting through a box of costume jewelry.

“Uh, yes, Lydia, it does.”

Ignoring him, Lydia continued, “I was thinking about inviting Scott over, too.”

Stiles furrowed his eyebrows, giving Lydia a suspicious look. “This is a set up, isn’t it?”

“They seemed to get along at our wedding, and I thought, if they get together, we could double or something. Plus, there’s just something about Allison that makes me want to be her friend.”

“Like a bromate?”

“A friend,” Lydia corrected giving Stiles a tired look. “Don’t clump my potential friendships with words that you and Scott made up when you were high.”

“We didn’t make up bromate…”

“Well, duh, bromate is a chemistry term…”

“…we looked it up on Urban Dictionary when we were drunk,” Stiles finished but still gave Lydia a fond smile for her science talk. “I love it when you talk science to me.”

“And I’d love it if you invited Scott over tomorrow night.”

“Fine,” Stiles sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Hey, are we going to order… OH MY GOD!!” he shoved his stuff into Lydia’s arms.“Is that a box full of X-Men comics? Holy shit this place is amazing!”

“Stiles, this isn’t finding me a grandfather clock!”

* * *

Allison looked up when the door opened. A tall, blond man walked up to the counter and smiled, his blue eyes catching the light. “Hi.”

“Hello,” she greeted putting down the flowers she had been arranging. She dusted her hands off on her apron and asked, “What can I help you with?”

“I’m proposing to my girlfriend,” the guy said looking at the flowers closest to him, “and I need a bouquet for tonight, but I don’t know what kinds of flowers to put in it.”

“What about some white and blue violets. They mean let’s take a chance at love.”

“I like that,” the guy murmured, a soft smile on his face. “What else do…?”

The door opened again, and Allison looked up to see Lydia lingering in the doorway. A smile slowly spread across her face, and she said, “I’ll be right with you.”

“I’m not staying,” Lydia answered quickly, giving Allison’s customer a polite smile. She turned her attention back to Allison a few seconds later. “I was just wondering if you’d like to come over for dinner tomorrow night. I mean, you really don’t _have_ to, but you did such an amazing job on our wedding…”

“I’d love to,” Allison answered a bit too quickly, mentally kicking herself.

“That great!” Lydia turned to leave, but stopped, pulling a white card from her purse. She handed it to Allison and said, “My home phone is on there; call me later so I can give you directions to our place. I really need to go now.”

“Excuse me,” Allison’s customer said, stopping Lydia in her tracks. “What are your favorite flowers?”

“Um, I guess I’m a bit boring. I like lavender roses.” Lydia then waved and walked out, the door closing behind her.

The guy turned back to Allison and asked, “What do they mean?”

The brunette shook her head, looking away from Lydia’s retreating back, turning to face her customer. She smiled and said, “Enchantment or love at first sight.”

“Oh, I like those, too. Can you add those to the bouquet?”

“Right away.”

* * *

Lydia stood in front of her bathroom mirror, applying another coat of lip gloss, when she heard Stiles enter their bedroom. “I’m sorry I’m late,” he said fumbling with his belt. “Jackson made me stay late again. I swear, I’m going to quit one day.”

“And I’ll be waiting with the champagne,” Lydia retorted turning away from the mirror, slipping her feet into her heels. “And you, are not wearing that tonight?”

“What?” Stiles looked down at his Avengers shirt, frowning. “What’s wrong with it? It doesn’t have holes in it or anything.”

Lydia sighed, but left the bathroom, heading towards their closet. She yanked the door open, walking inside, pulling free a gray Henley. “Here.” She held the shirt out to Stiles, her other hand on her hip, a ‘no nonsense’ look on her face.

“I’m an adult for cripes sake,” Stiles grumbled but took the shirt, exchanging it with his t-shirt. “These shirts always feel so itchy,” he complained pulling at the collar.

“Stop acting like a child,” Lydia scolded just as their doorbell rang. She patted his cheek, heading out of the room, calling over her shoulder, “And don’t think about wearing those Vans, Stiles.”

“Why do you hate me?”

Lydia ignored him, heading towards the front door. She opened it, smiling brightly at Allison. “Hi,” she said stepping back to let the brunette inside. Unsure whether or not to hug her, Lydia held out her hand and said, “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Likewise,” Allison replied with a smile, shaking Lydia’s hand.

“Hey, flower shop girl!” Stiles appeared at Lydia’s side, pulling Allison into a hug.

“Oh, hey.” Surprised, Allison still returned the hug. When they broke apart, the brunette held up the bottle of wine Lydia hadn’t noticed she had brought. “I didn’t know what else to bring.”

“This is perfect,” Lydia said taking the bottle, heading into the kitchen. “Make yourself at home.”

* * *

Allison followed Stiles to the couch, taking a seat on the edge, smiling at the toy can sitting on the table. She pointed at it and asked, “What’s that?”

“Do you like it?” Stiles picked a stereo remote up off the coffee table, turning some music on, and the can began to dance to the ZZ Ward song softly playing from the speakers. “I found it at a garage sale. Lydia thinks it’s tacky, but I love it.”

“It is tacky,” Lydia called from the kitchen.

“Lies,” Stiles called back sitting next to Allison. “So, how have you been?”

“Fine,” she replied politely. “I’ve been asked to do a few more weddings and a funeral, so I’ve been pretty busy.”

“That’s awesome. I mean, the weddings are awesome, the funeral sucks. Not that it sucks you got the job, it just sucks that…”

“I understand,” Allison interrupted with a half smile.

“So, any chance you’ll arrange the flowers for your own wedding someday? You know, if you and your boyfriend ever decide to get married,” Stiles asked glancing over at his dancing toy, smirking a bit.

“I don’t have a boyfriend, but I’d like to get married someday now that the laws have changed.” Stiles looked back at Allison, a little confused, and she said, “I’m gay.”

“Wow,” he drew in a deep breath, letting it out. “That’s awesome. I’ve always had a thing for guys and girls, you know, and before Lydia I was dating our friend Isaac, but we were better off friends. And that’s more than you probably wanted to hear, but I…”

The door opened and Scott walked in, cutting Stiles off, and Allison had a feeling tonight was meant to be a double date. She felt really bad, Scott was such a great guy and very adorable, but she’d have to let him down easy. She did return his wave, getting to her feet, following Stiles towards the dining room table.

“Hey man,” Stiles greeted giving Scott a hug. When the broke apart, Stiles dragged Scott over to the dancing can, and both guys began gushing over the thing.

“They're complete idiots,” Lydia said from behind Allison.

Ignoring the lump in her throat and the tightening in her stomach, Allison turned, plastering a small grin on her face, and said, “But they’re really sweet.”

“Yes, they are,” Lydia answered with a small nod, handing Allison a glass of wine. “I’ve ordered takeout because Stiles cannot cook…”

“And neither can Lydia,” Stiles added with a grin as he and Scott joined Allison and Lydia, ignoring the small glare Lydia threw him. “She tried to make soup last year and the entire kitchen smelled like… mmmhhhmmm.” The redhead jumped forward, wrapping her hand around Stiles’ mouth, cutting him off.

“Let’s not talk about that.” Lydia dragged Stiles to the table, shoving him into a seat. She gestured to two chairs next to each other, turning in Allison and Scott’s direction. “Take a seat.”

“Uh, Lyds…” Stiles started turning in his chair.

“Shush,” she replied and walked out of the room, returning a few moments later with three more glasses of wine. She set one in front of Stiles, handed Scott the second, and sat down clutching the third. She turned to Scott and Allison and said, “So, have you two seen each other since our wedding?”

“No,” Scott answered and Allison shook his head. He gave her a lopsided smile and said, “We could get lunch or something.”

“Maybe,” Allison replied vaguely sharing a quick look with Stiles. “So, how did you and Lydia meet?”

Stiles jumped on the subject change, something Allison was grateful for, and said, “We met in the third grade.”

“Stiles was in love with her since they were eight,” Scott added sipping his wine.

“And I really didn’t want anything to do with him,” Lydia supplied with a small smirk.

“I eventually gave up hope around junior year,” Stiles continued as if neither Lydia nor Scott said anything. “And I started dating other people. Then, around my third year of college, I heard she and Jackson broke up.”

“From me.” Scott raised his hand, a smile on his face. “Remember that frat party Danny dragged you to?”

“Yes, and only because he wanted to make out with Ethan Wilcox,” Lydia answered nodding her head.

“Who is Ethan Wilcox?” Allison asked curiously. She loved how they told their story, adding bits when they felt the need, and it showed just how long each one knew each other. It also made her feel a little left out.

“He’s this guy Danny saw across the quad, and he claimed it was love at first sight. Which is complete bullshit,” Lydia muttered the last bit, taking a sip of her wine.

“Why?” Allison furrowed her eyebrows, her brown eyes meeting Lydia’s green ones. “Why is love at first sight bullshit?”

“Well, for one, Danny and Ethan are no longer together,” Lydia replied holding up her index finger. “Two,” she added her middle finger, “true love is a lie mothers tell their daughters to scare them into thinking they aren’t complete unless they find a mate. And three,” she held up her ring finger, “love is just chemicals in the brain. There’s no difference between lust and love until you get to know someone.”

“That’s kind of a negative way to look at things, Lyd,” Stiles pointed out leaning back in his chair, the front legs no longer on the floor.

“Not to mention depressing,” Scott muttered rolling his wine glass between his hands.

“Stiles and Scott are right,” Allison stated still looking into Lydia’s eyes. “I think you just know, with one glance, that you’re meant to be with someone regardless if you know them or not.” The two women held eye contact for a few more seconds before Lydia looked away, draining her wine, someone knocking at the door.

“I’ll get it,” she said with a sniff, getting to her feet.

Stiles and Scott shared a look before the former cleared his throat and asked, “So, did you catch last night’s game, Scotty?”

“Uh, yeah,” Scott replied looking between Allison and Lydia. His eyes flicked to Stiles and he nodded. “Yeah, I can’t believe the score. That was just embarrassing.”

“You're telling me.”

Allison couldn’t help thinking she messed up somewhere. She had just been stating an opinion, Lydia didn’t have to agree with her, but for some reason, some hidden part of her, really _wanted_ Lydia to agree, even if it meant she experienced the same thing with Stiles instead of Allison.

* * *

After dinner, Allison and Scott said goodbye to Lydia and Stiles, and left together, the latter offering the former a ride home. Scott held the door open for Allison, making sure her feet were inside the car before closing the door. He jogged over to the other side, getting into the driver seat, and started his car.

“Do you want to go get something to drink before…?”

“Scott, I like girls,” Allison cut in, needing Scott to understand that they were never going to be anything but friends. “I’m sorry, and you are a very nice guy, but I’m not interested.” And she really was sorry. He’s such a nice guy, and he didn’t deserve to have a crush on someone who just couldn’t like him back romantically.

“Oh.” His face seemed to fall for a few seconds, but finally he smiled and said, “We can still get that drink if you want.”

“You’re not mad?”

“A little bummed, but I understand,” Scott replied stopping at a red light. “So, that’s why Stiles kept telling me to let it go.”

“Yes.” Allison nodded. “I told him like two seconds before you arrived. I had no idea Lydia was trying to set us up.”

“I should have known. She tried the same thing last summer with her step sister Malia, but we just didn’t click. It also didn’t help that Malia was only nineteen at the time.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Can we be friends?”

“I would like that very much,” Allison responded with a smile, holding her hand out.

“Alright.” Scott shook Allison’s hand, giving her a goofy grin. When he released her hand, he asked, “So, that drink?”

“I think I want to head home, but maybe some other time.”

“Okay.”

When Scott pulled up to her apartment, Allison said good-bye and got out, heading towards her doorway. As she searched for her keys, her phone chimed from her bag, and she pulled it free, checking the screen.

“Erica, hey,” she greeted finally finding her keys.

“ _So, I know you’ll say no, but do you feel like going out tonight? Boyd and I are going to do karaoke.”_

“I’m tired, maybe some other time,” Allison replied fumbling with her keys, unlocking her front door.

“ _Okay.”_ Erica almost hung up, but she stopped herself and asked, “ _So, how did tonight go?”_

“Lydia tried to set me up with her friend Scott.” Allison walked inside, dropping her bag by the door. She kicked her shoes off, shutting the door behind her, moving into the living room.

“ _No shit. How awkward was that?”_

“I thought you and Boyd were going out?” Allison sat down on her couch, leaning her head back, looking up at the ceiling.

“ _I’m multitasking,”_ Erica responded and Allison snorted, shaking her head. _“Come on, it’s been years since anyone tried to set you up with a guy. I need details.”_

“Okay,” Allison replied with a small sigh, leaning further into the couch, pulling her legs up to her chest. “Well, he’s really nice, but he seemed so disappointed when I told him we weren’t going to date.”

“ _As he should_ ,” Erica stated matter-of-factly, “ _you’re hot.”_

“Shut up,” Allison grumbled resting her chin on her knees. “Besides, it’s not like I don’t know how he feels.”

Erica was quiet for a few seconds, Allison knowing she picked up on what the brunette had been hinting at, before finally she said, “ _So, tell me more about this Scott guy. What does he look like? Are you and he totes bffs now? Should I expect you going to farmer’s markets with him every weekend? And does he have a brother or a friend? Because Boyd and I have been talking…”_

“Hey, Erica,” Allison murmured cutting her friend off. “Thank you.”

_“Anytime, Al.”_

* * *

“I think Scott and Allison hit it off nicely,” Lydia commented pushing their cart down the cereal aisle. “I mean, they left together, which is a major plus. They probably went to get coffee or something afterwards. We could be getting a call, any day now, asking us to go on a double date with them.” Lydia couldn’t quite shake the stomach sinking feeling at the thought of Allison dating Scott, but she ignored it.

“As friends, sure,” Stiles responded tossing a box of Cocoa Puffs into the cart.

“No, they definitely like each other.” Lydia didn’t know why she kept pushing the issue, but a part of her really needed Scott and Allison to get together, and it had nothing to do with double dates. “They had chemistry. A real connection. A… Put that box of Lucky Charms back right now, Stiles Stilinski!”

“But Lydia…”

“You are a grown man, Stiles,” Lydia hissed yanking the Lucky Charms out of his hands and putting them back on the shelf, “so stop acting twelve.”

“You’re twelve,” Stiles muttered but still grabbed the box of Special K she preferred. Lydia gave him a small smile, lightly punching his arm. “But you’re still wrong about Allison and Scott.”

“Why do you keep saying that?”

“Because…” Stiles trailed off when Allison and a blonde woman turned the corner, the latter pushing a shopping cart. “Hey, speak of the devil. We were just talking about you.”

“All good things I hope,” the blonde retorted with a flirty grin, wrapping an arm around Allison’s shoulders.

Lydia felt her stomach clench, but she ignored it, plastering a fake smile on her face. “It depends. Who are you?”

“Erica Reyes,” Erica greeted with a grin. “I work with Allison. Known her forever. Even saw her naked.” Allison nudged Erica with her elbow, muttering something under her breath that Lydia couldn’t quite hear. “Relax, Al, I’m only kidding… mostly.”

“Well, I’m Stiles.”  Stiles gestured to Lydia and said, “This is my wifey, Lydia.”

“Pleasure,” Lydia replied, her smile feeling more like a grimace.

“We should go,” Allison suggested pulling away from Erica, grabbing the cart handle, already pushing it away.

“Yeah,” Lydia agreed pushing her own cart in the opposite direction.

“Nice meeting you, Stiles,” Erica said cheerfully.

“Likewise, Erica,” Stiles replied as he jogged to keep up with Lydia’s quick strides. “Well,” he started when Lydia slowed down a bit, “she seemed nice.”

“I guess,” Lydia muttered grabbing a loaf of bread, “if you’re into that sort of thing.”

“Obviously Allison is,” Stiles commented tossing two bags of Cheetos into the cart.

“What does that mean?” Lydia asked sharply, clutching the bread to her chest.

“Allison is a lesbian,” Stiles responded taking the bread from Lydia, putting it in the cart. He started pushing the cart away, calling over his shoulder, “Hey, should we get one sixer of root beer or two?”

Lydia stayed rooted to her spot, staring at a shelf full of chips, trying to wrap her head around what Stiles just told her, and trying to ignore the small flare of hope that burned in her gut, and the jealousy that burned in her veins over the prospect of Erica and Allison being together.

* * *

“So that was the great Lydia,” Erica stated the moment she and Allison were out of earshot of Lydia and Stiles. “She looks like Barbie’s high strung cousin. Her husband was cute though.”

“Erica…” Allison gave her friend a tired look.

“Allison…” Erica returned the look with an amused smirk. Allison sighed, looking away, and nearly ran into another cart.

“Oops,” a familiar voice said and she looked up to see Stiles grinning at them, Lydia trailing behind him with an unreadable expression on her face. “We’ve gotta stop meeting like this.”

A grin spread across Erica’s face and she said, “It seems so.”

“So, Erica,” Lydia started quite loudly, moving to stand in front of Stiles, “are you and Allison…?”

“Together? Allison and I?” Erica wrapped her arm around Allison’s waist, pulling the brunette into her side. “Nah. It’s not from lack of trying either, but Allison just keeps turning me down.” Erica squeezed Allison. “Besides, she’s no Boyd.” She glanced over at the brunette woman, a faraway look on her face. “ _Definitely_ not Boyd.”

“Okay,” Allison exclaimed turning her body, freeing herself from Erica’s loose grip. “We should really get going now.”

“Goodbye,” Erica and Stiles said together as their shopping partners dragged them away.

“They seem really nice, Al,” Erica commented with a grin. Allison rolled her eyes and pushed the cart away. She really needed a new friend.

* * *

Allison opened her dad’s front door, shrugging her jacket off. Hanging it up, she called, “Dad! You home!?” She didn’t even know why she bothered asking, he rarely left the house.

“I’m in here!” he called back, his voice coming from the kitchen. “I’m making pancakes.”

“For dinner?”

“What not?”

Allison shrugged, closing the door. She moved into the kitchen, stopping in the doorway, watching her dad flip his pancakes. “I thought you were going out tonight.”

“I thought about it,” her father responded keeping his back to her, adding another pancake to a stack next to his arm, “but then I decided what the hell. I’m in my mid-forties, I can have pancakes for dinner if I want, and so here I am.”

“Dad,” Allison started patiently, moving across the room, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I wish you’d go out more, make a friend or two, do something. You know, get a life.”

“I will when you do, kiddo,” her father retorted not unkindly, adding more batter to the pan. “Do you want some pancakes?”

Allison dropped her hand, hanging her head, and softly said, “Yeah Dad, pancakes sound great.”

As she set the table, Allison nearly brought Lydia up several times, but she refrained, unsure how to broach the subject of her potential soul mate being married to someone else; someone who wasn't Erica. So, she let it go for now and just concentrated on her task at hand.

* * *

Stiles and Scott occasionally played a pick-up game of softball in the park. Isaac and Danny usually joined them, along with a few guys and girls they worked with, and Lydia would sometimes show up, show her support, but mostly just answer emails on her phone.

This year, Danny brought his flower shop friend, the guy six-feet of pure muscle with a chiseled face that seemed incapable of smiling. Stiles seemed to make it his personal mission to make the guy smile, following him around, ignoring his grumbling and continuing to poke at him. Lydia gave it another ten minutes before she had to get some ice for her husband's face.

“Hey,” a voice said to her right and Allison sat down next to her.

“What are you doing here?” Lydia asked curiously, a little breathlessly. She forced herself to seek out Stiles, needing to look away from Allison.

“Scott invited me,” the brunette replied leaning forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “So, how’ve you been?”

“Fine,” Lydia answered quickly, her eyes tracking Stiles as he asked Danny’s friend another question. The guy rolled his eyes, but humored Stiles, answering the question. “You?”

“I’ve been stressing a bit lately,” Allison answered and Lydia could feel the brunette’s eyes on her. “The wedding I’ve been working on has the worst bridezilla since yours.”

“What?” Lydia turned to glare at Allison, but the look dropped when she caught sight of the smirk on the brunette’s face. “Funny.”

“Seriously, though, this girl is the worst,” Allison continued clasping her hands together. “She can’t pick a flower or a color, and her wedding is in a week.”

“It sounds like you might need to sit her down and say ‘either pick something or find a new florist.’”

“I’m almost there.”

The two women fell silent, watching as the softball players set up their game. Stiles seemed to have worn the dress shop guy down, the two talking like old friends now, though Lydia could see the traces of a scowl on the dark haired guy’s face. She did, however, put a rain check on the ice for now.

Allison and Lydia watched the game in relative silence, the redhead keeping her phone in her purse for a change. Surprisingly, Stiles and Danny’s friend worked well together. Add Scott, Danny, and Isaac and they were a damn near unstoppable team.

“They play well together,” Allison commented softly, placing her hands on either side of her, watching the game intensely.

“Yeah,” Lydia answered very much aware of the brunette’s fingertips brushing her leg. She clenched her hands into fists, focusing her attention on Stiles, who had just scored a homerun. He highfived Scott, fist bumped Isaac, and held his hand up for dress shop guy. For a second, Lydia actually thought the taller man was going to ignore Stiles, but he rolled his eyes and accepted the highfive.

Lydia felt Allison looking at her again, knew she was going to say something. She turned, opening her mouth to cut the brunette off, but her words died on her lips. Allison face was mere inches from hers, either woman could literally lean in and…

And do what? What exactly did Lydia want to happen? What did Allison want to happen? Were they on the same page? Was Lydia reading into a situation that she shouldn’t be reading into? And when exactly did Allison get that close? Their lips barely brushed each others before Lydia heard someone calling her name.

Lydia jumped, her head snapping up, her hands shaking a bit from the fantasy, and she caught sight of Stiles standing by the bleachers, a grin on his face. “We won! Scott wants to go get pizza. Are you going to come with or catch a ride with Allison?”

“Uh…” Lydia glanced over at Allison, who had no idea what had been going on in the redhead’s mind, opening her mouth to say something, anything, but Allison beat her to the punch. “I’ve got deliveries to make, so maybe you should go with the guys.”

“O-okay,” Lydia murmured nodding, watching as Allison stood up and stepped off the bleachers, heading across the park and towards the parking lot. Lydia watched her go for a while, but finally she looked back at Stiles, forcing a smile on her face. “Let’s go get pizza.”

“Awesome.” He held a hand out, and Lydia took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. As they headed towards the others, Stiles chatting away about dress shop guy (whose name happened to be Derek), Lydia was a million miles away, still sitting on the bleachers with Allison, desperately wishing her fantasy had been a reality, guilt bubbling in her stomach when she glanced over at Stiles.

What the hell was she going to do?

* * *

Monday at work, Lydia looked up from the article she had been editing, turning in her chair to look at Danny. “Hey, Danny, can I ask you a question?”

“Yeah,” he replied fiddling with the computer at the desk behind Lydia. “What’s up?”

“Have you…?” she trailed off, trying to choose her words carefully, but finally she just blurted, “So how’s dress shop guy?”

“Derek?” Danny looked up from his work, his eyebrows furrowing, but finally he shrugged, returning to his program. “He’s fine. We broke up Saturday night, something about this other guy he met. I’m not sure what happened, but we’re not together anymore. Why?”

“Just wondering.” Lydia slowly turned in her chair, her eyes on her computer screen. She silently argued with herself for a few seconds before turning back and asking, “Have you ever thought about being with a woman?”

Danny whirled around in his chair, his eyebrows raised in question. He leaned back into his chair, obviously thinking about it, but finally he shrugged and said, “Nope.”

“Not even once? Not even a little?” Lydia had no idea why she was prying. Danny had been an open and proud gay man since birth practically. Not once had she ever seen him ashamed of his sexuality, had even been invited to march in a few PFLAG parades with him (she went to a few, brought Stiles with her, and he seemed to make friends with the drag queens very quickly), but she doubted Danny ever actually thought about a woman in that way.

“Okay, one time. I wanted to be Liza Minnelli’s cabana boy.”

“Really?”

“No, not really,” Danny retorted with a snort. “I’ve never thought about having sex with a woman. Of course, I have thought about having sex with a toned, tanned pool boy. His name is always Ramon in my fantasies, and he always has… oils.” Danny’s eyes glazed over and Lydia snapped her fingers in front of his face, bringing him back to reality. He shook his head and said, “So, no, Lydia I’ve never thought about having sex with a woman. Why?”

“No reason.” She turned back to her computer, her eyes scanning the article again. “Just forget I said anything.” She could feel Danny’s eyes on her, but he finally sighed and returned to his work. She really shouldn’t have said anything, it was completely stupid. She was being completely stupid. She had Stiles; she loved Stiles.

So why did she keep thinking about Allison?

* * *

Their town had two founders’ day celebrations (one in May, the other in September) because no one could agree on which day the town had been founded. The celebration always took place in middle of town square, and usually ended when Bobby Finstock drank too much and complained about his ex Greenburg.

Allison didn’t really want to go, but she really needed to get her dad out of the house, so now she stood next to the food table, watching as her father talked to a dark haired, goateed man while a girl around twenty stood next to her, talking about something. Allison wasn’t listening, too busy making googly eyes at the brownie tray.

“Excuse me,” she said, cutting the girl off, and headed towards the table. She didn’t care how much chocolate was in the brownies, she wanted three of them. Her dad met her halfway there, falling into step with her, giving her a small sigh.

“I’ve mingled, I’m bored, can we go home?” he asked picking up a lemon square.

“We’ve only just gotten here,” Allison replied loading a small, green plate with four brownies. “Just stay for ten minutes, okay?”

Her dad looked like he wanted to argue, but instead he nodded and grabbed another lemon square. They stood next to each other, not saying a word, just people watching, eating desserts. Finally, Allison looked over at her dad and said, “Let’s leave.”

“Thank God,” he replied and they headed towards the parking lot.

* * *

Lydia followed her mother through the crowd, ignoring everything she said, looking for Stiles. He had disappeared a while ago with Scott and Isaac, mentioning something about getting a hotdog. Knowing Stiles, Lydia had a feeling a hotdog was going to turn into popcorn, cotton candy, and most likely a funnel cake; plus a Big Gulp he did not need and would most likely have him spending the entire night peeing. Sometimes Lydia wondered how she could have married such a manchild.

“At least tell me you’ll be holding off on having children,” Lydia’s mother said, snapping the redhead back to reality.

“What?” She turned her attention to her mother, furrowing her eyebrows. “I think that’s something Stiles and I should discuss, and _not_ something you get to decide.”

“I’m just saying. Sometimes kids are the worst decision in a marriage.”

“Wow.” Lydia walked away from her mother, heading in the opposite direction. She needed a drink… or twelve.

Wandering around, still half looking for Stiles, Lydia stopped short when she spotted Allison and an older guy walking towards the parking lot. Lydia wrapped her arms around her torso, turning around, nearly running headlong into Stiles. Sure enough, he held a bag full of cotton candy in one hand, a Big Gulp under his arm, and monkey bread in his other hand.

“What’s up?” he asked worriedly.

“I just want to go home.”

“Alright,” he agreed already moving towards the parking lot. “Hey, remind me to never bring up kids around Peter again. He looked like he wanted to stab me.” Lydia gave Stiles a pale smile, nodding her head. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah,” she lied, her vision blurring. She blinked, clearing it, and nodded. “I’m fine.”

* * *

When Allison’s phone rang, she jerked awake. Sitting up, her bright, green blanket falling off her shoulders, she rubbed sleep from her eyes. Picking her phone up from the coffee table, running a hand through her hair, she checked the screen, a small smile automatically spreading across her face.

“Hello?” Breathing answered her before the line went dead. Allison frowned, hanging up, redialing the number.

“ _Hello?”_ Stiles answered on the third ring.

“My phone just rang. Did you call?” Allison asked curiously, politely, figuring it could have just been a butt dial or something similar.

“ _Uh, not me. Maybe Lydia did_ ,” Stiles replied quickly. “ _But, hey, can I ask you something? Jackson just called, and he needs me to work late Tuesday. Do you think you can go with Lydia to this Lacrosse game? We bought the tickets a while ago and it’d be a waste of money to_ …”

“Sure,” Allison answered with a smile. “I’d love to.”

“ _Alright, that’s great_! _So, Lydia will pick you up around 6:15_.” Stiles said something else, something Allison couldn’t hear, probably to Lydia, before saying goodbye. She heard more muttering and then he hung up. Allison tossed her phone onto the couch, running her hands down her face. She really needed to stop doing this to herself, and she thought about calling back and cancelling, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She’s such a masochist.

* * *

Lydia didn’t particularly _like_ Lacrosse, but she knew a lot about it. Jackson was a fanatic, and Stiles, Isaac, and Scott spent a lot of time talking about it. Plus Danny seemed to like it, too. She’d been surrounded by it for such a long time that she picked up some things.

“Is this game violent?” Allison asked softly, taking a seat next to her.

“I’ve seen Scott dislocate his kneecap. Stiles broke three bones in his arm playing. Isaac and Danny collided once, one ended up with a concussion, the other three sprained fingers and a broken nose.” Lydia gave Allison’s worried face a small smile, nodding. “Yes, it’s very violent.”

“Why would anyone subject themselves to this game?”

“The same reason anybody subjects themselves to any game,” Lydia answered watching the players start to walk onto the field. “Bragging rights when they win.”

“Of course,” Allison murmured, leaning forward, watching the game start.

For a while, both women didn’t say anything to each other, Lydia too busy screaming at the players while Allison watched her cautiously. She never would have guessed the redhead had such a vulgar vocabulary.

“Come on you fucker, grab the goddamn ball! What the fuck is your problem! Grow a brain!” Lydia let out a shrill, high pitched sound of frustration.

“Problem?” Allison asked curiously, eyes wide.

“I can’t believe they let these MORONS play! They can’t even see the ball!! And, what’s that, HEY REF, ARE YOU BLIND!!!” Allison grabbed Lydia’s arm, stopping her from falling over the edge of the balcony. The redhead fell backwards, landing right in Allison’s lap.

“Uh, hi,” Lydia breathed her face inches from Allison’s.

“Hi,” Allison repeated quietly, leaning in, but both women broke apart abruptly when a loud horn sounded, signifying half time.

“Sorry,” Lydia apologized scrambling off Allison, sitting back in her seat. “Sorry.”

They spent the rest of the game sitting silently side by side, both shooting the other furtive looks when they didn’t think the other was looking.

When the game ended, they headed towards the parking lot. A couple times, their hands brushed, and Lydia eventually put her hand in her pocket, fiddling with her keys. At her car, she unlocked the driver side first, pressing the electric lock to let Allison into the car.

* * *

 

When Lydia pulled up to Allison’s apartment, she turned to the brunette, and said, “I’m not sure what…”

“I really should get going,” Allison interrupted opening her door. She got out of the car, ducking down long enough to say, “Goodbye.” She then closed the door, already heading towards her front door.

Lydia watched her go, her heart hammering in her chest, hands clenching the steering wheel tightly. She should just pull away, leave now. Go home to Stiles, pretend she never knew Allison. It would be smart, prudent, something she should totally do right now.

Instead, Lydia threw her door open, racing around her car and towards Allison. She grabbed the brunette’s arm, whirling her around so they were facing each other, and kissed her. At first, Allison didn’t respond, and Lydia very nearly pulled away, but the brunette quickly wrapped her left arm around Lydia’s waist, pulling the redhead against her.

Lydia wrapped her arms around Allison’s neck, burying her right hand into Allison’s hair, letting the other rest against the back of the brunette’s neck. Lydia figured the kiss probably looked as unplanned as it had been, messy, but to the redhead it was perfect.

She felt Allison’s thumb brush her skin where her shirt rode up, her other hand resting against the side of the redhead’s face. Lydia opened her eyes, a pair of brown eyes looking back at her, and her mind flashed to another set of eyes, another brunet, and she pulled away.

“I can’t,” she whispered untangling herself from Allison, rushing towards her car. “I-I just can’t.”

“Lydia wait!” Allison called, but the redhead had already closed the driver side door. She threw her car into drive, hitting the gas too hard, and nearly took out a blue mailbox as she peeled away from the curb. Hands shaking, lips still swollen and wet from kissing, her vision blurring, Lydia drove six blocks before she had to pull over.

She leaned forward, resting her forehead on her steering wheel, willing her breathing to slow down. Her phone buzzed from her bag, startling her, and she reached down, grabbing her purse from the floor. She pulled her phone out, checking the screen, answering with a shaky, “I-I can’t, Allison.”

“ _I know,”_ Allison said softly, her voice shaking, too. “ _L-look, there’s only one option you need to take. T-tell me to go, to leave you alone, and I’ll do it. You’ll never see me again. You and Stiles can continue being together and I’ll… I’ll just be a distant memory.”_

“I don’t want to forget you,” Lydia whispered wiping her eyes with her free hand.

“ _That’s the thing about memories,”_ Allison replied slowly, sounding on the verge of tears. “ _Sometimes you need to forget them.”_ And she hung up, leaving behind the sound of the dial tone. Lydia squeezed her eyes shut, clutching her phone tightly, a tear trickling down her face.

“Goodbye,” she breathed hanging her phone up. “Goodbye.”

* * *

Lydia let herself into the apartment about an hour later, dropping her keys in the little bowl by the door. She hung her jacket up, slowly walking across the living room, stopping short of the couch. Stiles laid on his stomach, one hand and one foot dangling off the couch, the other hand tucked under his face. His mouth hung open and he snored softly, his nose scrunched up a little. Lydia watched him for a few moments before nudging him, startling him awake.

“Hey,” he said softly with a small smile, running a hand through his hair, his half-mast brown eyes on her. “How was the game?”

“Good,” Lydia murmured, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat, rubbing her nose with her hand. “C-can we talk?”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded, gesturing with his hand. “I’m all ears.”

“S-something happened tonight,” Lydia started slowly pacing back and forth. “A-and it wasn’t planned, I would never do anything to hurt you, nor would I want to, but it happened. I fixed it because I have no intention of leaving you, but I just thought you’d…” the redhead trailed off, her eyes widening when she found Stiles asleep. “No, no, no,” she said quickly, crouching down next to him, resting her hand on the side of his head.

“Stiles wake up.” She shook him gently, needing him to wake up, unable to say any of that again. “Stiles. Stiles please.” When she still didn’t get a response, she stood up, running her hands down her face. “I-I’m sorry,” she whispered and went into their bedroom, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Allison loaded the last of the funeral flowers into the back of her van, ignoring the concerned looks Erica threw her, when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned, taking a step back when she noticed the angry look on Scott’s face.

“Stiles told me what you did,” Scott said softly, pointing at Allison. “He didn’t know who it was, but I’m not stupid. I-I just… why her? Why Lydia? And why would you do that to Stiles? I-I don’t understand.”

“Scott…” Allison tried, but Scott waved his hand, cutting her off.

“Don’t. Just don’t.” He shook his head, swallowing hard, and said, “J-just leave them alone, Allison.” He then turned on his heel and stormed away, leaving Allison breathing heavily, willing herself not to cry.

“Hey,” Erica said coming up behind her, wrapping her arms around her. “Want me to kick his ass?” Allison shook her head, sniffing. “Alright. How about you go home? I’ll take care of the funeral, okay?” Allison nodded, patting Erica’s hand before untangling herself from her friend and heading towards her apartment.

She didn’t end up going home. Instead she unlocked her dad’s door, going inside. She walked towards his living room, calling, “Dad! You home!”

“I’ll be out in a second,” he called back and Allison sat down, bending forward, burying her face in her hands. She heard more than saw her father enter the room, feeling him sit next to her. He wrapped an arm around her and worriedly asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I-I…” Allison almost didn’t tell him anything, but she finally broke, recapping the last few weeks. When she finished, her head rested on her father’s shoulder, his hand running through her hair. “…a-and I, I told her to just forget about me…”

“I’m sorry,” her father said softly, kissing the side of her head. “I’m so sorry.”

“I-it’s not your fault.” Allison sat up, scrubbing at her face with her hands. She looked over at her dad, her eyebrows furrowing, and she asked, “Are you going out?”

Her father looked down and nodded. “Yeah. That goatee man, at the fair, Peter, set me up with one of his friends. Apparently she’s a nurse, and I’m kind of nervous. I can cancel if…”

“No, Dad, don’t cancel your date for me. Go, have fun, I’ll be fine.” She gave him a watery smile, and he smiled back, giving her another hug. For a moment; a bright, shining moment Allison let her troubles melt away with that hug, but when they broke apart she was reminded of what she had lost.

“M-maybe I should go stay with Aunt Kate for a while,” Allison suggested leaning back into her father’s couch. “Erica can take care of the shop, and Boyd can help her when he can.”

“Whatever you need to do, sweetie,” her father agreed. “I'll call Kate tonight, or you can, we’ll see what she says.”

“Okay.” The two Argents sat in silence for a few moments longer, but Allison’s father had to head out. So, he stood, kissing the side of his daughter’s forehead, and said, “Stay as long as you need, okay?” She nodded, waving, watching as he walked out the door. The moment the door closed behind her dad, Allison fell onto her side, bringing her knees to her chest, and closed her eyes.

She just needed some time to get over Lydia, find someone new. It’d just take time. She’d be fine. Until then, she'd just live with the pain in her chest and the gaping hole in her life. It’d be worth it in the end.

She's such a liar.

* * *

Lydia found Stiles waiting for her on the couch after work Friday afternoon. He sat on the edge, his legs jumping up and down, his hands clenched in his lap. She gave him a small smile and asked, “Have you been waiting for me? Don’t you have work?”

“Took the day off,” he replied ignoring her first questions. He stood up, running his left hand down his right arm, and said, “I-I know you don’t love me.”

“What?” She took a step back, her heart slamming against her chest. “W-why would you…?”

“Lydia, I heard you,” he whispered looking up at her. “I-I heard you…” He looked away, squeezing his eyes shut. “A-and I don’t want you staying with me just because you f-feel obligated. D-don’t do that.” He sniffed, opening his eyes, meeting her green ones.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Stiles said crossing the room. “I should have known it was too good to be true.” He gave her a pale smile, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Just… just tell me who it is. C-can you please tell me?”

Lydia blinked twice, a tear sliding down her face, and quietly said, “Allison.”

Stiles nodded, sniffing again, running a hand down his face. He sucked in a deep breath, clapping Lydia on the shoulder, heading towards the door.

“Where are you going?” she asked keeping her back to him.

“To clear my head,” he replied and opened the door, closing it behind him. Lydia stood there for a few moments, trying to process what had happened. It took her a few moments before she realized she wasn't with Stiles anymore, they had just broken up, ended their marriage.

She sniffed, digging her palms into her eyes. She turned on her heel, grabbing her keys from the bowl, and rushed out of the apartment. She drove the twelve blocks to Allison’s flower shop, jumping out of her car, rushing towards the entrance. She tore the door open, running inside, stopping when Erica looked up at her from behind the counter.

“Can I help you?” she asked sharply, her eyebrows raised in silent challenge.

“Where’s Allison,” Lydia demanded ignoring the glare on the blonde’s face. “Where is she?”

“Why? Don’t you think you already hurt her too much already?”

“I’m…” Lydia drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I’m not with Stiles anymore. W-we broke up.”

“You did? For Allison?” Lydia nodded. “You must really love her, huh?”

“More than you’ll ever know,” Lydia answered softly, the words feeling right. She'd known she loved Allison since they met eyes at her wedding, and it wasn’t fair to Stiles, she should have been honest from the beginning, and she made a mental note to really, truly apologize, but not until she saw Allison first.

“She’s on her way to the airport,” Erica said taking her apron off, shooing Lydia outside, following her. “She just left. You can’t miss her.”

They ran towards Lydia’s car, Erica getting into the passenger seat, and the redhead’s tires squealed as she pulled back onto the road. She drove as fast as she could, weaving around as many cars as she could, groaning in frustration when she ran into traffic.

“Shit,” Lydia muttered laying her head against the steering wheel. Erica ducked her head out of the window, squinting, pointing to a car somewhere in front of them. “She’s up there, I recognize her dad’s head behind the wheel.”

“Really?” When Erica nodded, Lydia took her seat belt off, shoving her door open. She started running, zigging and zagging between cars, ignoring the grumbling complaints of the patrons stuck in traffic. She nearly ran into a bike messenger, apologizing over her shoulder.

When she found Allison’s car, Lydia’s hands were shaking badly, her breathing heavy, her face probably red and sweaty, but she didn’t care. She hammered on Allison’s window, startling the brunette and her father, both looking up at Lydia. Allison opened her car door, confused, and got out.

“What are you…?”

“I can do this,” Lydia interrupted pointing between the two of them. “I want to do this. Me and you. I’m ready.”

“But Stiles…”

“He and I broke up, and I just… I need you to know that I want to do this. I want to be with you.” Lydia sucked in a deep breath, fighting the urge to kiss Allison, needing the brunette to make the next move.

Allison stood there for a few seconds, no doubt wrapping her mind around what Lydia had just said, finally reaching a decision. She met the redhead’s green eyes and asked, “Are you sure about this?”

“I've never been more sure of anything in my life,” Lydia answered and the two women surged forward, kissing each other, ignoring the honking and swearing around them as patrons demanded they move. This kiss was just as perfect as their first kiss.

When they broke apart, Lydia rested her head against Allison’s, softly asking, “What does the lavender rose mean?”

Allison smiled and said, “Love at first sight.”

“I guess I picked the right flower.”

Allison chuckled and whispered, “I guess you did.” She pressed her lips against Lydia’s again, flipping off the middle-aged man cursing at them in the car behind them. Nothing was going to ruin this moment.

* * *

**Epilogue (One Year Later)**

“We’re going to be late!” Allison called through the bathroom door, fiddling with the keys in her hand.

“I know, I know,” Lydia called back throwing the door open, grabbing onto Allison’s shoulder so she could put her left shoe on. “How do I look?”

“Gorgeous,” Allison answered and Lydia smiled, putting her other shoe on. “Let’s go.”

They made it to the church ten minutes before the wedding started, taking a seat next to Danny and Isaac. The latter had his arm around the former’s shoulders, the two guys’ heads together, whispering to each other. They broke apart a moment later and Danny said, “Scott nearly lost the rings.”

“Again?” Lydia and Allison said together, sharing a quick grin.

“Yeah, but Kira found them,” Isaac stated nodding towards an Asian girl in the front row. “She’s the best thing that ever happened to him.” Lydia nodded in agreement, waving at Erica when she and Boyd took a seat across the aisle from them. Allison followed her gaze, getting up to say hello to her friend, leaving Lydia alone with Isaac and Danny.

“Is he nervous?” she asked curiously, looking between the two guys.

“They both are,” Danny answered and Isaac nodded.

“I’m just glad they finally decided to get hitched,” Isaac stated with a small smile. “They both danced around the subject so often I'm surprised you didn't have to drag them to the altar.”

“I nearly did,” Lydia commented just as Allison rejoined them.

“I had to stop her a dozen times,” Allison added smiling fondly at Lydia. “I even had to start hiding the wedding magazines she kept having delivered to our place.”

“They are perfect for each other,” Lydia argued matter-of-factly. “A wedding was inevitable for them.”

“They’re not the only ones,” Allison whispered in Lydia’s ear just as the guests stood. The back doors opened, Stiles and his father appearing in the back. He had had made a joke, a while ago, about wanting to do things traditionally. Lydia wasn’t exactly sure how they decided who was going to get walked down the aisle, but it seemed Stiles won that honor.

At the front of the church, Derek stood with a small smile on his face, his eyes on Stiles. Lydia could tell her ex wanted to sprint down the aisle, but he refrained mostly because his father murmured ‘slow down’ to him after each step.

Finally, finally he managed to get to the end of the aisle, practically shaking with excitement, and his father let him go, rolling his eyes when Stiles ran up the steps. Once everyone sat down, the wedding began.

* * *

Allison watched as Lydia danced with both grooms, one right after the other. It had taken Stiles three months to agree to go for coffee with Derek, the latter wanting to ask him out the moment he laid eyes on him, but refraining because of Lydia. It took another three days before Lydia looked Allison in the eyes and said, “Those two are getting married.”

Sure enough, six months after their first date, Stiles had proposed at a Chuck E Cheese while the two waited for Derek’s sister’s son to finish up at a birthday party. Lydia had put a lot of time and effort into helping Stiles and Derek plan their wedding, and Allison, naturally, did the flowers.

Allison looked around the room, seeking out the rest of her friends. Boyd and Erica were expecting their first child in three months, the latter sitting in the former’s lap. They still weren't married, but Lydia swore they’d be hitched by the end of next year. Danny and Isaac were a bit of a surprise. They had hooked up a few days after Derek and Danny broke up, in the bathroom at a French restaurant. They have been constantly in the honeymoon stage ever since. Scott met Kira at a coffee shop a few months ago, and they hit it off immediately. Kira worked for a pet hospital two towns over, so they had that in common, and they both were adorable around each other, still stammering over their words and throwing each other shy smiles. Allison looked forward to their wedding someday.

Lydia dropped down next to Allison, leaning into her side, and softly asked, “What were you talking about at the church? About Stiles and Derek not being the only ones?”

“What?” Allison feigned ignorance, her eyes darting to her purse where an emerald engagement ring resided. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re a liar,” Lydia replied kissing Allison’s cheek. “But wait until tomorrow to ask me,” she continued laying her head on the brunette’s shoulder. “I don’t want to ruin the guys’ day.”

“Whatever you say, Lyd,” Allison responded wrapping an arm around the redhead. She never would have thought, a year ago, she’d be sitting with Lydia, but now she couldn't see herself with anyone else, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

**The End!!**


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